Under the moonlight

A piercing sound pulled Huang Meng back to reality. She looked around warily and heard the sound of a deformed shelf collapsing not far away. This also caught Huang Meng's attention. She carefully avoided the large and small pebbles and heads rolling towards her from who-knows-where, trying to avoid looking at them closely, partly out of fear and partly out of awe.

It took Huang Meng a full twenty minutes to reach the shelf. When she saw the goods buried under the rubble nearby, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise. However, she was still very careful, first slowly crouching down behind the pile of rubble, then looking up into the distance. Several people outside, attracted by the sound, were peering in, but they were only searching from the outside and didn't come inside. Huang Meng didn't rush to act. She kept observing the activity outside, and only when the people were completely out of sight did she begin her move.

She slowly took off her schoolbag, then gently placed the little girl on it. Next, she took off her coat and moved the little girl onto it. After freeing up the schoolbag, she rolled up her sleeves and began looking for something useful.

This must be the innermost part of the supermarket. Behind her is what appears to be a load-bearing wall, so the area is mostly covered in rubble. Huang Meng nervously cleared the debris while keeping a watchful eye on the outside. It's precisely in situations like this that one cannot afford to be careless. Although everyone is a victim, there are plenty of people who might take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble. Besides, she's just an ordinary person with her own selfish motives. The food here could feed her and Nasha's family for several days. Now that she's discovered this place, she can't let anyone else know. Her own safety is the most important thing.

Huang Meng's forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat from nervousness and excitement. She dared not move too much and could only slowly tidy up the food little by little. Fortunately, the food was buried shallowly under the rubble, and soon she saw the colored packaging under the rubble.

Huang Meng was overjoyed and quickened her pace. Below were some canned vegetables and several bags of pasta. She happily filled the backpack to the brim. Just as she was about to zip it up, her eyes caught sight of a milky white jar peeking out from under the rubble not far away.

She glanced at the little baby sleeping soundly beside her, then put down her schoolbag, squatted down, and slowly moved over. She continued to clear away some of the rubble, reached inside, and pulled out the can. She examined it closely and saw that it was milk powder. However, her schoolbag was already full, and she couldn't very well carry it openly. In these difficult times when even adults struggled to fill their stomachs, such a thing was even more precious. If others saw it, it would be like inviting trouble.

After thinking it over, she first put her backpack on her back, then gently placed the little doll on the floor beside her. She then took the two sleeves of her coat, one over her shoulder and the other under her armpit, tied them in a knot in front of her chest, and then wrapped the knot around her back. This way, the front of the coat looked like a simple baby carrier. She put the milk powder can inside, and then slowly picked up the little doll, carrying her inside.

After tidying up, Huang Meng put the rubble she had cleared away back, though she wasn't sure if it would be useful, it was always good to be cautious. Finally, she retraced her steps and went outside. Once outside, she noticed the light had dimmed. A sense of foreboding crept into her heart. Not daring to linger, she quickly retraced her steps. There were hardly any people around; those who were there were mostly people sitting by the roadside, waiting to die. Occasionally, able-bodied people would walk by, pausing briefly at the sight of her fair skin and dark hair, but only for a fleeting glance. After all, who would care about insignificant people at a time like this?

Huang Meng's journey was relatively smooth. Just as it was getting dark, she knocked on the door. There was no response for a while, so she thought for a moment and said, "Nasha, it's me." After a while, Nasha moved the door open. Huang Meng first threw her schoolbag inside, and then squeezed in with the things in her arms.

After Huang Meng went in, Nasha cautiously scanned the area before closing the door.

When Yaqin saw Huang Meng come in, she couldn't hide her surprise and delight. She gently placed the sleeping Gash in her arms on the blanket, walked to Huang Meng's side, stretched out her hands and gently cupped Huang Meng's cheeks, and kept whispering softly. Huang Meng knew that they were thanking their God.

Huang Meng grinned; at least for this moment, someone was worried about her. Nasha, however, noticed something wriggling in her arms. Huang Meng also felt the little one squirming. She pulled open her clothes, and Nasha and Yaqin rushed forward, almost gasping in shock. Huang Meng quickly put her finger to her lips, while Yaqin covered her mouth in surprise and backed away, tears welling in her eyes. Even Nasha was stunned when she saw the child, then looked at Huang Meng before turning away sadly.

Huang Meng noticed that the couple seemed a bit too agitated. Could this child be related to them in some way?

He gestured for Nasha to untie the knot at the back, then she lifted the baby with both hands and placed it next to Gash, where the only soft blanket in the small shelter lay. After setting the child down, Huang Meng gently took two steps back, her eyes fixed on Yaqin. Beside them was the small fire pit Nasha had lit, with steam rising from the small pot on top. By the faint light of the fire, Yaqin slowly leaned closer to take a look, and finally, unable to contain her emotions, she threw herself onto Nasha's body, covering her mouth and letting out a soft sob.

That's it, this child must be related to them. As Huang Meng thought this, she handed the milk powder can she had brought back from her clothes to Ya Qin. Ya Qin was still nestled in her husband's arms, crying sadly. When she saw the milk powder in her teary eyes, she suddenly grabbed Huang Meng's hand and asked, "Is she alright? Her mother?"

Huang Meng thought Yaqin might have misunderstood and thought the child and the milk powder were given to her by her mother. Huang Meng didn't say anything, but after stuffing the milk powder into Yaqin's hand, she turned around and picked up the schoolbag on the ground. While picking up the things, she said, "I'm sorry, when I found her, her mother was already dead. She was sitting there crying non-stop. I felt so sorry for her, so I picked her up while she was asleep. I found the milk powder and these foods in a destroyed supermarket. It's enough for us to eat for a few days."

After listening to her words, Yaqin nodded silently. After handing the milk powder to Nasha, she gently sat down next to the child, tenderly stroking her fluffy little curly hair. Tears streamed down her face, and her eyes were filled with an overwhelming sadness.

Seeing her distress, Huang Meng didn't ask any questions. Nasha Gang also remained silent, their lips tightly pressed together, as they helped her take out and organize her belongings. They dug a small pit in the innermost corner, placed the food in it, and then covered it with planks and pebbles. After finishing all this, Huang Meng dusted off her hands and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

By this time, Yaqin had also composed herself. She gently held the child in her arms and asked Nasha to find an empty can so she could make some formula for the baby. Huang Meng looked at the sleeping child and couldn't help but ask curiously, "How can you drink milk while sleeping?"

Yaqin looked at Huang Meng and said, "Meng, thank you for saving her. She is my sister's daughter, and she is only a little over a year old. I don't know when my sister was killed, and I don't know how many days she hasn't had milk. I touched her body just now and it felt a little cold. I was afraid she had low blood sugar, which is why she has been sleeping and not waking up. So no matter what, I have to feed her something as soon as possible."

So it really was related. Huang Meng didn't know how to comfort her. Judging from her expression just now, her emotions had returned to normal. Well, humans are such fragile creatures. They can never escape natural disasters and man-made calamities. Isn't this man-made chaos right now? Death is normal. Right now, she, her family, and the little one in her arms are the most important.

After hearing this, Huang Meng realized that the little one in her arms had been sleeping soundly the whole way, no matter how bumpy the journey had been; it turned out he had fainted from low blood sugar and hunger. However, the thought of food made Huang Meng's stomach rumble uncontrollably. She chuckled a little sheepishly. Nasha didn't say anything, but waved to her, signaling her to come over. Then he opened the small pot, and a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out. Huang Meng bet it was the most delicious smell in the world.

Nasha scooped the food out of the container and put it in an empty can, handing it to Huang Meng. Huang Meng didn't stand on ceremony, took it, blew on it, and poured it into her mouth. Foreigners basically cook all the ingredients into a paste, which Huang Meng used to laugh at, saying it looked like pig slop. Now she only wished her mouth was bigger.

Huang Meng had never eaten so quickly before. Firstly, she was starving, and secondly, food was scarce and plentiful; having anything to eat was already a blessing, and she didn't dare ask for more. She watched Yaqin sit by the blanket, feeding the little girl small amounts of formula from the can, careful not to feed too much at once for fear of choking. After feeding her, Yaqin held her, stroking her forehead and cheeks, murmuring prayers.

Huang Meng glanced at Nasha, who sat silently by the fire pit, seemingly lost in thought. After hesitating for a moment, Huang Meng walked over and sat down opposite him. She casually tossed the small wooden stick she was holding into the pit. Nasha looked at her and said, "Thank you very much for today." Huang Meng looked at his face, illuminated by the firelight, and said, "Nasha, I want to go find the embassy. Do you know which direction to go?"

Nasha looked at her and said, "I know, I know this city too well. Even though it looks like this now, I can still recognize it. However, it might not be easy for you to get to the embassy."

Huang Meng frowned and asked, "Why? I went out for a quick look just now, and there were no mercenaries in the city, just people fleeing from all directions, taking advantage of the time when they weren't bombing..."

“There’s no bombing now, but how do you know there won’t be any in the next second? We’ve lost so many people because of their intermittent bombing. Just when we think the bombing has stopped and everyone thinks it’s safe, they start attacking again. We can’t find any pattern to their attacks.”

“It has been 5 hours since the last attack. There has never been such a long interval in the past few days.”

Aren't you afraid that this is exactly the kind of mentality they want?

After Nasha finished speaking, she stared at Huang Meng. Huang Meng still didn't want to agree with Nasha's statement, but she couldn't find any other reason, so she could only lower her head in dejection.

Then she looked up at Nasha and said, "Nasha, you don't need to worry about these things for now. Just tell me how to find the embassy as quickly as possible. Even if I die on the way, I won't complain. But I can't just sit here and wait." Huang Meng was extremely determined. She couldn't die here. She had to get to the embassy. Once she got there, she would have a great chance of returning home.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Nasha turned to look at his wife, Yaqin, who nodded slightly. Nasha then sighed and said, "Girl, you helped us before. Little Gash was almost hit by a car on the road that day, and you pulled him to your side. You saved him. Today you saved little Dorva. We should repay you. But even we don't know what this city will be like when we wake up tomorrow. You have your own country and family, and you must want to go back to them. How about this, I'll send you out tomorrow."

“No, you have to stay with them. Even if there’s no danger of an attack, there can still be other troubles at times like this,” Huang Meng said, glancing at Yaqin who was holding the child. “Right now, you are their only support. You just need to tell me the general direction. The embassy has signs, so as long as you’re going the right way, it should be easy to find.”

Huang Meng's words struck a chord with Nasha, who truly didn't want his wife and children to be in any danger. So he sighed and said, "Alright, I'll do as you say."

Nasha told Huang Meng the general location of the embassy. Actually, she knew many of the streets, having worked as a translator there for a few days and gone out for a stroll when she had free time. Huang Meng memorized every word Nasha said, afraid of missing any important information.

"Oh, right, there's something else that might be useful to you. This afternoon, after you went out, I went out for a walk, and just like you said, I didn't see a single mercenary in the city. But that's strange. Their goal is to take over this city and destroy it like this, yet they haven't shown up. So you still need to be careful."

Huang Meng nodded heavily after listening. She knew these mercenaries were only in it for money and didn't want to get involved in matters unrelated to the current political turmoil. Huang Meng's confidence came from the passport and ID card hidden in the lining of her bag. At that moment, she knew that the red flag would be her only symbol of passage through this war-torn land. Huang Meng felt incredibly fortunate to have been born in Country C!

At night, Yaqin slept on a blanket with the children. During this time, Xiaoduo woke up. The unfamiliar and dark environment around her made her cry instinctively. Yaqin quickly held her in her arms and hummed a song softly. After a while, she hummed a few softly in the dark and fell asleep again.

Nasha leaned against the wooden door, a thick wooden stick beside his feet. Huang Meng curled up against the wall, her coat draped over her shoulders. She closed her eyes, thinking of many things. She thought of Li Shuo, who always wore a white mask and smiled at her with his eyes crinkling. She thought of her college roommates; they had sung karaoke together at graduation, which was just the beginning of the month. She wondered if they knew about her ordeal. Sigh, if she was lucky enough to go back alive, she would definitely brag to them about how she had bravely and single-handedly ventured into S country. As Huang Meng thought, her eyes welled up with tears. She suddenly felt a little sentimental, her lips pursed, and she decided to stop thinking about it. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? She sighed silently, wiped her face haphazardly, closed her eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.